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Have you read the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio? Of course you have! Well, maybe not yet. It’s a very popular book, and you should definitely read it! This year, in response to the popularity of Wonder, R.J. Palacio wrote a companion to the original, Auggie and Me: Three Wonder Stories and it should be on everyone’s shelf… well, after you read Wonder first!

Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories is written as three stories, each from the perspectives of Julian (the bully), Christopher (Auggie’s old best friend), and Charlotte (the girl who was Auggie’s welcome buddy). Auggie is only a minor character in this book, which might come as a surprise to most readers who have read Wonder.

The Julian Chapter is in Julian’s point of view and it is fantastic, from its amazing detail to its wonderful plot! In this chapter, Julien’s life is falling apart from the consequences of bullying Auggie The story will surprise you so much and it will even make you feel sorry for Julian, despite the fact that he is Auggie’s bully! This says a lot about how Palacio can make a character realistic and human! This short story is very emotional at some parts and the side-story of Julien’s grandmother made me almost cry. After reading this chapter, I came to understand the reason why Julien bullied Auggie to begin with. Palacio cleverly offers Julien some reader-sympathy in this chapter.

Pluto, Christopher’s chapter, takes place in a completely different setting. Since Christopher moved to New Haven, his story is very different than Julian’s because of it involves a completely different set of characters and a separate plot line. The story is about Christopher’s times with Auggie and what happens after an accident involving his mom. I won’t spoil it for you. While shorter than the other stories, it is still very memorable and I loved reading it because it offers a whole new perspective of Christopher. He is no longer just “Auggie’s old best friend.” Before this book, I thought Christopher was just an unimportant, two-dimensional character, but now I think he is caring, although unwilling to admit it because he wants to be cool and popular.

Finally, Shingaling, Charlotte’s story, is last, but certainly not least. Just like Christopher’s story, Charlotte’s is also very different, despite taking place in Manhattan like Julian’s. The story also involves Summer, one of Auggie’s best friends, as a major character and you learn that she is not just Auggie’s friend, but she is also an outgoing, skilled dancer. One example of this is when you learn about her growing friendship with Charlotte and one other girl during dance rehearsal. All three of them are chosen to dance in front of a big audience. It was very interesting to see Summer and Charlotte’s friendship grow, which is especially strange for Wonder fans, because you never even knew that Charlotte and Summer became great friends!

Overall, I loved reading Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories. The additional development of characters, the new plot twists, and the surprising new relationships kept me reading it for hours, even after I was ‘supposedly’ asleep! I would give it a 9.9/10, only taking off a tenth of a point because it was too short and I would have liked to read more! So what are you waiting for? Read it!